Labor leader Harriet Applegate, who led the campaign to pass Issue 5, one of two competing reform proposals on Tuesday's ballot, conceded that her effort had failed.

Applegate, director of the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor, said so in a call made around 9 p.m. to Parma Heights Mayor Martin Zanotti, a co-author of the Issue 6 reform proposal, which was well on its way to victory.

Applegate pledged to work with Issue 6 leaders as the county begins a dramatic makeover. Issue 6 replaces the three county commissioners with a single elected county executive and 11-member council. It also eliminates most elected offices.

Issue 5, which appeared separately on Tuesday's ballot, would have created a charter review commission to study county government and recommend changes, if any, next year.

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